Two Steps Back
by markzilla6895
Summary: Mark's life before Yin Yang Mark.
1. Prologue

"Say, Mark. What was your life like before you met me?" Yin asked her boyfriend one particular day.

"Oh, that's a long story."

"I got time."

"Then I'll have to go back to the beginning. The very beginning…"

17 years earlier…

"Now push, Ms. Rose!" Dr. Quack said to the screaming pink hedgehog going through labor. She then produced a crying green baby hedgehog. The doctor handed her the baby after wrapping him up.

"So what should we call him?" Sonic asked.

"I was thinking something basic like Mark."

"Mark sounds perfect. Mark the Hedgehog."

The newly christened Mark looked at his parents with curiosity. He then noticed a white female hedgehog about the age of four was also in the room.

"Aw, he's so cute!" She said. Amy handed the hedgehog her son.

"Hey there, little guy. I'm your half-sister, Dawn." She then handed Mark back to Amy.

"I love you, Mark."

1 year later…

Mark was now one year old. Already, he had learned to walk and speak Basic English. One day, two adult porcupines brought their one-year old daughter. She had blue fur and a tuft of brown hair.

"Mark, this is Shelby. She's going to play with you today," Amy explained.

"Play!" Mark cheered. He then hugged Shelby.

"Now both of you just sit down and hold still." The two children did as they were told. Amy knelt down and slowly undressed them until they had nothing on.

"Now go and enjoy yourselves." The two naked Mobian children gleefully ran around the house, playing Tag with each other.

7 years later…

"Mark, wait up!" Shelby said. She, a pink-and-white wolf, a black chameleon, a blue scrub jay, and a lavender cat tried to keep up with Mark and a white hedgehog.

"Hold up, Silver," Mark said to his friend. "Let's let the girls catch up."

"Well, we gotta get to the secret clubhouse," Silver stated.

"We can all go together." The chameleon said.

"Sarah's right, Silv," the cat said. "No one knows about its location but us and our parents."

"Yeah, you're right Blaze," Silver said.

"And good thing it's near Freedom HQ," the scrub jay added.

"Indeed, Emilie." The wolf said.

"Carlee, wait up." Shelby said. She walked alongside the wolf.

"We're here!" Mark said. They group stood in front of a wooden tree house with all sorts of fancy tech added to it. Silver levitated himself up to it and lowered the rope ladder. They each climbed up and started to relax in their usual spots. Suddenly, they heard a commotion at New Mobotropolis.

"I'll go check it out," Mark said, zooming to the city. He saw a strange person breaking into his house.

"Let go of me!" He heard his mom's voice yell.

"I'm placing you under arrest for treason." The figure said in a rasping voice.

Mark then zoomed out of the city to Freedom HQ. Shelby noticed and followed him. Inside the base, she saw Mark activate the Star Posts.

"Mark, what are you doing?"

"I'm leaving."

"Why?"

"Naugus just arrested Mom. I'm running away."

"Running away won't solve your problems, Mark."

"I know, but I refuse to live under his rule."

"Where will you go?"

"Anywhere."

"Then take me with you."

"No. It would be too dangerous. You need to stay here where you'll be safe."

Shelby then approached Mark and kissed him on the lips.

"Come back safely."

"Of course, Shelby-Welby." He kissed her on the cheek before walking through the Star Post gate.

The moment he exited the gate, he was surrounded by sirens. Two Mobians in armor knocked him to the ground.

"Scourge the Hedgehog, you are under arrest!" One of the Zone Cops said.


	2. Zone Jail

"Scourge? Who's that?" Mark asked the Zone Cops in confusion. "I'm just a kid!"

"Save it for the warden," one of the Zone Cops said before slapping a collar on the poor hedgehog's neck. He felt a jot before drifting into unconsciousness.

Soon…

When Mark came to, he saw he was looking at someone who matched his mom's description of Dr. Eggman. The weird thing was that the man was sideways.

"So we finally recaptured Scourge the Hedgehog. Looks like you couldn't evade Warden Zobotnik for long."

"Okay, why is everyone calling me Scourge? My name is Mark. And why are you sideways?"

"Take him away." Zobotnik ordered. Two Zone Cops started to drag him out of the warden's office to a cell. Along the way, he could've sworn he heard the inmates calling him "Snot." The guards then pushed him into an open cell.

"Enjoy having the bitch as your cell-mate, 'Snot,'" one of the Zone Cops said before they walked away.

"I'm telling you, you got the wrong guy!"

"Don't bother trying to convince them," a voice said in the back. Mark turned around to see a red female fox lying on the top bunk of the cell's bed.

"You're Fiona Fox, aren't you?"

"And you must be the son of the blue punk Sonic," Fiona replied. "A twelve year old brat."

"Twelve? I'm eight!"

"I saw your arrest and I watched you age a couple years."

"You're lying!"

"If you notice, I'm the same age as you." Mark did notice Fiona was about the same height as him.

"I thought you would be older," he said.

"It's one of the places new experiments. They're age regressing certain inmates to make them more controllable."

"And you're one of the lucky ones?" Mark asked sarcastically.

"Yeah."

Suddenly two Zone Cops burst in and grabbed Fiona.

"What are you doing to her?!" Mark shouted.

"The bitch is being carted off for 'extensive testing.' Now stay here like a good prisoner, 'Snot.'"

"My name is Mark," the hedgehog growled, his anger rising. He started to charge a Spin Dash. Fiona rolled her eyes, thinking the inhibitor collar would prevent him from doing so. To everyone's surprise, Mark did a perfect Spin Dash at the guards. He then broke Fiona's chains and collar.

"How did you…?" Fiona was speechless.

"I don't know. I just did it."

"But the collar should've stopped you. It renders your abilities useless."

"Maybe I'm not normal." Mark then broke the collar off his neck. "I'm busting out of here. You with me?"

Fiona thought for a moment, and then nodded. Mark then held out his hand.

"I need you to be honest here. I know what you did to Dad, but I still think you can be forgiven."

"You're a hopeless cause, you know that."

"Maybe, but I think you deserve a second chance. Besides, who is Scourge?"

"He's your dad's evil twin and my… former boyfriend."

"Former? What happened?"

"He ditched me here. Left behind in a prison again."

"Well, I'm not ditching you." Mark said, hugging her. For the first time in her life, Fiona's heart melted. Suddenly alarms sounded. "Now, come on." Fiona took Mark's hand and led her through the halls.

"Do you know where you're going?" the fox asked.

"Nope."

"Then how are we getting out of here?"

"Simple. We fight."

"All those?" Fiona asked, pointing at an army of Zone Cops.

"Yep," Mark replied, cracking his knuckles. He crouched to start a Spin Dash. "Get on my back," he instructed. Fiona did so, and Mark started to charge a Spin Dash, and Fiona was spinning with him. Mark released the Spin Dash, plowing through a row of Zone Cops.

"Fire F.O.E. Inhibitors!" Zobotnik ordered. "I don't want them escaping!"

Zone Cops stationed above them fired energy projectiles which Mark swiftly dodged. He then leapt over the remaining Zone Cops and then the prison wall.

"We're out!" Mark cheered.

"You actually did it," Fiona said in surprise. "And alone. That's actually impressive."

"I'm impressed myself. I never thought I could do it alone."

"Alone?"

"Well, I did all the work."

"You got a way home?"

"I… no."

"Well, then our breakout was pointless."

Just then, lights shone on them.

"Crap," Mark said.

"Put your hands in the air," a familiar voice said.

"Dad?" Mark asked.

"My name is Zonic," the Zone Cop said. "And I believe you're not Scourge, but the woman has to come with me."

"No! I won't let you!" Mark protested. He stood in front of Fiona.

"So you wish to be with her?" Zonic asked.

"I do. I also want to go home."

"The Prime Zone?" Zonic asked.

"I think so. My dad is Sonic and my mom is Amy. And there's the Eggman Empire to deal with."

"That's the Prime Zone." Zonic then opened a portal. Mark and Fiona stepped inside.

When they stepped out, they ran into Silver and Blaze, who were now twelve years old as well.

"Mark!" Silver said, hugging his best friend. "Where were you? You were gone for four years!"

"Four years? That's impossible. I was locked up in Zone Jail for a few hours."

"Time must move differently in the No Zone," Blaze reasoned.

"Anyway, you need to go to the clubhouse! It's Shelby!"

"What?!" Mark zoomed toward the clubhouse. When he arrived, he saw it on fire. Panicking, he charged head-on into the fiery building. Inside he saw a horrifying sight: Shelby and Carlee lying on the floor with blood splattered. Their blood. Mark picked up Shelby's Corpse and carried her outside. He then went back in and got Carlee's body next. He then noticed a recorder on Shelby's body. He then turned it on.

"Greetings hedgehog!" Dr. Eggman's recognizable voice said from the device. "Perhaps this will break your spirit when I kill your son. Mecha Sally is looking forward to ending you." The recording then ended. Mark's eyes started to produce tears as he clenched his fist in anger.

"EGGMAN! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" He screamed at the sky.


	3. Roboticization

Mark was walking from the burning clubhouse in anger. Silver, Blaze, and Fiona ran up to him.

"Where're Shelby and Carlee?" Blaze asked. Mark pointed to their bodies.

"Oh, my Chaos," Silver muttered.

"They're dead?" Fiona asked in disbelief.

Mark solemnly nodded. "Could this day get any worse?"

Suddenly, something heavy pounced on Blaze and bit her arm. She quickly became unconscious. Fiona quickly jumped up from tree to tree to avoid getting bitten. Silver and Mark tried to fight off the thing, but it pounced and bit both of them. They both slipped into unconsciousness.

The next day…

Mark zoomed to the closest Dark Egg Legion base he could find after waking up feeling refreshed. It turned out to be the Soumerca region base.

"Great. The base led by Drago," Mark muttered. He was then spotted by Dark Egg Legionnaires.

"It's the hedgehog!" One of them said.

"You idiot! That's the hedgehog's son!" Another one argued.

"Get him!" A voice said from the loudspeakers.

Mark just grinned as the Legionnaires charged at him. He swiftly dodged their laser fire and knocked out a lot of them in just a few seconds. When one was left, he grabbed the helpless Legionnaire and dangled him over a ledge.

"WHERE IS HE?!" He shouted.

"W-who?" The Legionnaire asked in fear.

"Where's Eggman?!"

"H-he's on the run! That's all I know! I swear!"

Mark then lifted him up and knocked him out. He then entered the base. He finally reached the command center and came face to face with Co-Grandmasters Drago Wolf and Razorklaw.

"So the son of Sonic the Hedgehog has arrived," Drago sneered. "This is going to be fun." He charged at Mark, who easily tripped him, knocking him out cold.

"Idiot," Razorklaw muttered. He then tried to slice Mark up with his claws, which the young hedgehog dodged as well. He then punched the cat's lower regions sending him to the floor as well. The hedgehog hit him on the head, knocking him out as well. Mark then walked over to the computer.

"Now let's see if I can hack into the EggNet," he said, taking out a cryptographic sequencer. "Thanks for the gift, Uncle Tails," he whispered as he started to hack into the network. Within seconds, he got Eggman's location.

"Now just one last thing," he said. He took apart several devices in the room and put them together to make a crude bomb. He set the detonator to thirty seconds. Before he started the count down, he picked up Drago and Razorclaw's unconscious bodies and then threw them outside. When he saw their bones weren't broken and they were regaining consciousness, he started the countdown and then leapt out the window. He was already half a mile away when the base exploded. The communicator he had on him started to buzz.

"Mark, what the hell are you doing?!" NICOLE's voice shouted on the device. "I just detected a massive explosion from Eggman's Shamazon base! Are you trying to piss Eggman off?!"

"Yes," was his only answer.

"Look, I know you're angry. But revenge won't bring back your friends back."

"I don't care. I just wanna kill him."

"Mark, I'm detecting huge energy spikes in your body. Are you okay?"

"Never better," Mark said, sporting a sinister grin. A dark aura started to engulf him. His fur turned black and his face and ribcage became exposed.

"Mark, stop!" Fiona's voice said. She hugged him, causing his fur to return to its normal green color.

"Fiona, what happened?"

"You were going all dark there. I was worried."

"I'm going after Eggman."

"That's suicide. You against his Death Egg? You wouldn't stand a chance."

"Maybe, but he killed my friends. Now I'm gonna kill him."

"Then let me come with you."

"Fine."

The two set off in the direction the tracker pointed to the Death Egg's location.

Soon…

The duo saw the giant flying abomination of a base hovering above them. It released several capsules which released Egg SWATs at them. Mark and Fiona double-teamed against the robots, turning them into scrap heaps. Mark quickly made a flying transport out of the parts.

"How did you learn to do that?" Fiona asked in amazement.

"Uncle Tails has been training me."

"Tails? H-he's gotten over me?"

"Think so. He's with Mina now."

"Oh," Fiona had disappointment in her voice. Mark activated the transport.

"You coming with me?" He asked.

"Sure," she said, hopping onto the transport. Mark took off to the Death Egg. He activated the laser weapons he installed to blow a hole into the Death Egg's hull. Once inside, they knocked out several Dark Egg Legionnaires and destroyed more Egg SWATs. Mark then grabbed a Legionnaire by the neck.

"Eggman, where is he?!"

"H-he's at the bridge," the Legionnaire whimpered. Fiona was shocked to see Mark acting so dark.

"Good," Mark said. He then knocked the Legionnaire out. Mark started to head towards the bridge, followed by Fiona. When they reached the bridge, they quickly took out the guards.

"So the hedgehog's son survived my attack."

"You missed me. I wasn't even there. But my friends were. And for that, you'll die." He leapt up, but he was knocked out of his path by a fast object.

"Good girl," Eggman said. Mark then realized he was staring at Mecha Sally.

"Then I guess I'll have to kill you too," Mark growled.

"Shoot them!" Eggman ordered his Legionnaires. They obeyed and shot Mark and Fiona with their laser rifles. Everything went black for both of them.

A few hours later…

When Mark woke up, he found himself in a large glass tube. He looked to his left and saw Fiona in a similar device.

"Finally, you're both awake," Eggman's voice said. "Now let's see if either of you are immune."

"Wait, you're roboticizing us?!" Fiona said disbelief. "Those aliens made your roboticizers useless!"

"But when I reset the world, half of you Mobians are now vulnerable again! Remember that white flash?"

"Sorry, wasn't there," Fiona grinned.

"Is that so? Egg SWATs, take her to legionization!"

Two Egg SWATs released Fiona from the roboticizer and started to carry her away.

"Put me down!" She yelled. One of the Egg SWATs knocked her out.

"Let her go!" Mark screamed. Eggman threw the roboticizer's switch and a light struck Mark, who felt his fur turning into metal. When the light died down, Mark was now a Robian.

"It works on him!" Eggman said in glee. "I want you to head to the bridge."

"Bite my metal green ass!" Mark replied.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me! Bite my metal green ass! I'm not your slave!"

"Impossible! His free will should've been taken away!"

"I'm just full of surprises," Mark made a metal grin.

Suddenly, automatic turrets came out of hatches and electrically zapped Mark, putting him in stasis.

"Restrain him," Eggman ordered the Egg SWATs.

"What about the girl?" One of them asked.

"Legionize her later. I want that… thing held down!" He then left the roboticizer room.

The Egg SWATs put down Fiona and dragged the Robian hedgehog to a holding cell. They started to restrain Mark to two large metal clamps. They then carried Fiona to a nearby cell and threw her in.

Hours later…

"I wanna play with it!" Mark heard a psychotic metal voice say. His optics activated to see Eggman, Mecha Sally, Metal Sonic, and Metal Tails observing him.

"Oh, good. He's awake. Mecha Sally, administer stress test 72B," Eggman ordered.

Mecha Sally walked over to a console and switched it on. Two beams of energy started to hit Mark's body, causing immense pain throughout his whole body. The beams finally stopped and so did the pain.

"He hardly flinched!" Metal Sonic said. "Let me cut him open!"

"In due time, Metal Sonic," Eggman said. "Metal Series, follow me!"

The group left the room, leaving Mark and Fiona alone.

"Oh, you poor thing," Fiona said from her cell. "It hurt that bad, didn't it?"

Mark could only nod weakly.

"If they didn't put us in different cells, I'd be comforting you."

Mark managed a smile. He then heard an explosion and then saw Snively approach him.

"So you're Mark the Hedgehog? I am Snively Robotnik and I know what my uncle has done to you. I scanned his logs. Surely you want to bite back at him? But what is a hedgehog to do? You will serve me, and in return, I will set you free."

"No thanks," Mark growled. Through sheer force of will, he managed to reach out and grab Snively. "I'll free myself!"

"Wait, I can help you!" Snively pleaded. Mark just ignored him and threw the Overlander at the control panel. The clamps immediately shut down, allowing Mark to tear them off.

"Nothing… feels right. Hard… to think…" Mark said.

"Mark, get me out of here!" Fiona called out. Mark ripped off his cell's door and proceeded to rip off Fiona's.

"That's two for two now," he said. "Now let's go find Eggman."

"But what if you lose control?"

"I don't feel anything trying to take control. I'm in total control." Suddenly, Mark's right hand turned into a sword. "Awesome!" He tried it with his other hand, but it transformed into a shield instead. "Now let's go." His weapons turned back in hands, as he approached the door and tore it off its hinges.

"You weren't that strong before," Fiona said.

"I'm surprised too."

"Alert. Alert. Test subject has escaped custody." The loudspeakers announced.

"It's escaped!" A Legionnaire yelled.

"Take me to Eggman!" Mark shouted, as he knocked the Legionnaires out with his shield. He then cut up Egg SWATs with his sword.

"We can't let them reach the others!" A Legionnaire said.

"Others?" Fiona asked. Mark entered a room to see a familiar person hanging from the ceiling.

"Silver?" Mark asked in surprise.

"Mark, is that you? Get me down from here!" The white hedgehog said. "I saw the guards activate those two consoles at the same time."

Mark went to one console, while Fiona went to the other. They activated them in unison and Silver started to fall but used his telekinesis to land safely.

"I was trying to follow you, but I got captured and they imprisoned me up there. They got Blaze too."

"Blaze? Okay, we'll find her first then Eggman." Mark thrust his sword into the air. "Let's do it to it!"


	4. Mark's Rage

"I think Blaze was this way," Silver said, flying down the hallway. He opened a door to see an army of Egg SWATs.

"Welcome hedgehog," Eggman's voice said over the loudspeaker. "Allow me to properly introduce you to Mecha Sally."

The roboticized princess leapt into a turret and started to shoot energy bolts at the three. Mark grabbed an explosive charge nearby and hurled it at Sally's position. The turret started to smoke and slowed down, but still shot at them. Mark threw another charge and this time the turret was totally trashed with Mecha Sally dangling from her seat. Mark grabbed her and smashed her face against the optic scanner to the door behind her.

"Access granted," the computer said. The door opened to reveal a fiery hole in the wall.

"That's definitely Blaze's work," Silver said.

Mark walked through the hole to find a destroyed giant roboticizer.

"That must've been the world roboticizer Eggman had," Silver reasoned.

"Persistent little pests, aren't you?" Eggman's voice said. "Well, Metal Tails has volunteered to assist you in unlocking your full potential."

Metal Tails appeared above them.

"I remember you, hedgehog," the robot fox said in the same psychotic voice Mark heard earlier. "Do you remember me? Me? Me?" He asked mockingly before breaking out into insane laughter.

"I'll crush you!" Mark yelled.

Suddenly a giant robot bug burst out of the ground and attacked Mark.

"Oh, look Mark. It's just big and tough as you!" Metal Tails taunted from his perch. Mark managed to cut it in half with his sword.

"We'll tear you apart just like we did to your precious Shelby," Metal Tails said as a bunch of Egg SWATs flooded the room. Mark suddenly had an orange aura surround him. He slammed his fists into the ground as his body twisted to a more bestial shape. He let out a roar of rage when he finished transforming.

"I-impossible!" Metal Tails said in disbelief. The Egg SWATs began to attack. "You are weak. Tired. Give up." Metal Tails said.

"NEVER! NEVER GIVE UP!" Mark roared. When he scrapped all the bots, he saw Metal Tails at the door.

"Time for me to take my leave," Metal Tails said before the door came crashing down on him. Mark, Silver and Fiona saw a lavender female werecat walk across the knocked down door.

"Excuse me," she said in Blaze's voice to the pinned down robot's head.

"Blaze?" Mark asked. "You look terrible."

"I feel terrible. Whatever happened to me last night really messed me up inside, but I'll survive," she said.

"Me too," Mark replied.

"I'll help you guys up," Blaze reached out her claw. She pulled up Mark and Fiona with ease thanks to her increased strength.

"Where's Emilie?" Mark asked.

"She didn't even make it out of the forest." Blaze said.

"And Sarah?"

"Eggman carted her off for 'extensive testing.'"

"Eggman…" Mark growled. He then returned to being a normal Robian hedgehog.

"This way!" Blaze said, leading them to another large room. Above them in an electric cage was a black female chameleon.

"Sarah! Is that you?!" Mark asked.

"Mark! Get me out of here!" Sarah said.

"Yeah, that's Sarah," Mark muttered.

"How precious!" Metal Sonic said from a platform above. "You've come to rescue your little friend!"

"I've come to take you apart, Metal Sonic!" Mark declared. Once again, more Egg SWATs filled the room. Mark killed them off just as more entered. He quickly turned back into a robot werehog and made quick work of them.

"Big mistake! You werebeasts are in for it now!" Metal Sonic shouted as he turned up the electricity level on Sarah's cage. She started to scream in agony as several volts of painful electricity coursed through her. Blaze ran over to her cage to try to get her free. Mark noticed some large batteries around the room. He quickly smashed them which deactivated Sarah's cage, and sending an electrical charge to Metal Sonic's platform, sending him to the ground. Mark approached him with his mouth open, revealing his sharp teeth.

"N-no! S-stay away from me!" Metal Sonic pleaded desperately. Mark ignored his pleas and bit down on his leg and tore it off. He then tore off his legs, deactivating the Sonic robot.

"Sarah's pretty messed up, Mark," Silver said, carrying Sarah's unconscious body.

"We need to take her back to the city," Blaze said.

"You go take her. I'm going after Eggman," Mark said.

"But Mark-!" Silver started to protest.

"That's an order!" Mark interrupted. "Now go!"

Blaze blew a hole open in the wall, revealing they were several miles in the air.

"I'll fly you guys down," Silver offered. The girls got on his back and he flew out of Mark's sight. Mark then turned back to normal and proceeded to rip open the door to the bridge.

"Eggman, you're finished!" He yelled. When he approached the villain, two energy chains snapped onto his arms.

"You think I'd turn someone so powerful as you into a more powerful robot and not have a way to control it?" Eggman taunted. "Now sit there like a good pet and let me finish."

That insult alone made Mark so angry, he turned into a werehog.

"NO ONE CONTROLS MARK THE HEDGEHOG!" Mark declared as his increased size broke off the chains.

"Impossible!" Eggman said in awe and fear. Mark then bit off the scientist's left arm while at the same time damaged the Death Egg's controls.

"Warning, prepare for crash landing," the computer said. Mark ran out into the hall to see the floor was collapsing below him. That's when he noticed the bombs all over the floor. As he was falling, he felt something pick him up.

"Silver?!"

"Hey, we werebeasts gotta stick together!" Silver said, as he flew Mark to safety.


	5. De-Roboticized

Silver managed to set Mark near his mom's house in New Mobotropolis.

"Why'd you bring me here?" Mark asked. "I thought Mom got arrested."

"She was released when it was found out she was arrested on false charges. Caused a huge scandal for Naugus."

"Really?"

"See for yourself."

Mark ran inside to see his mom relaxing on a chair.

"Mom?"

"Mark? Is that you?" Amy asked the Robian hedgehog.

"It's still me, Mom. I may be different on the outside, but I'm still your son in here," he said, pointing at his chest.

"Who did this to you?" Amy asked.

"Eggman. He captured me after I tried to avenge Shelby."

"I heard. I was helping her parents deal with their loss."

"Can I talk to them?"

"I don't think now is a good time."

"Can I tell you what happened, then?"

Amy smiled. "Of course, sweetie."

Later…

After retelling his story to Amy, Mark was taken to the Science Center while keeping a low profile in order to not draw too much attention. Soon, he was on an operating table being examined by Tails, Rotor, and Sir Charles.

"So can you de-roboticize him?" Silver asked.

"I think so," Tails replied. "But due to his young age, the process might be a threat to his life."

"Do it," Mark said.

"You're sure, sonny?" Sir Charles asked.

"Yes, I won't be a reminder to everyone about Sally."

Rotor then positioned a de-roboticizer over Mark and activated it. His metal slowly turned back into fur and flesh. When it was over, Mark was a Mobian hedgehog again. He was unconscious though.

Later…

"Mark, wake up," he heard a voice say. He opened his eyes to see Fiona's face. She was in her orange jumpsuit again.

"Fiona? Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital," Silver said.

"Oh. I feel kinda fine now," Mark said, getting out of bed.

"Ehp, ehp, ehp!" Dr. Quack said. "Not until you have fully rested."

"Come on, doc!" Mark complained. "I got things to do!"

"And they can wait for a couple of hours. You're making a great recovery."

Mark groaned and flopped back onto the bed.

Two hours later…

Mark stepped out of the hospital with Silver and Fiona behind him.

"So what do you two wanna do today?" Mark asked cheerfully.

"Well… your mom did plan a beach trip for us today," Silver said, rubbing the back of his head.

"A beach trip? Cool!"

"But… she already left with Blaze," Silver finished.

"Aw man," Mark said in disappointment. He then brightened up. "Well, we could go see Alex and Domestic."

"Yeah, they're always fun to see," Silver agreed.

Soon, the three reached a house not far from Amy's. Mark knocked on the door. A few seconds later, it was answered by an adult purple hedgehog.

"Mark? Is that you?" The hedgehog asked.

"Hi, Domestic," Mark smiled. "It's been a long time."

"You've been gone for four years, and now look at you!" Domestic said, hugging the green hedgehog.

"I know. I can hardly believe it myself," Mark smiled. He then noticed a red hedgehog with a set of green quills.

"Hey, Alex," the young hedgehog waved.

"Hey there, kiddo." Alex walked over to Mark and mussed the green hedgehog's quills. Mark straightened them and hugged Alex.

"I missed you two," Mark said, tears were starting to form in his eyes.

"The same here, sweetie," Domestic replied. "Silver visited us every day to keep us company."

"Well, you two were our favorite baby sitters," Silver said.

"And you two were our favorite kids," Alex responded.

"Why don't you two come inside for some tea?" Domestic offered.

"Really? Thanks, Domestic!" Mark said cheerfully. He and Silver walked inside.

"Um, hi?" Fiona said nervously.

"Oh, you," Alex said with a little spite in his voice.

"C'mon, Alex," Mark said. "She's a good guy again. Give her a chance."

"Fine, but I got my eye on you," Alex warned the red fox.

Two hours later…

Domestic and Alex wanted to go out to dinner, and Silver had to go home. So Mark and Fiona decided to go for a walk on the outskirts of the city.

"It's nice out," Fiona commented as the sun started to set.

"I'll say. Plus the sunset is beautiful,"

Fiona moved closer to Mark.

"It might get cold. You probably need warmth," she said.

Suddenly, Mark smelled something in the air. It was vaguely familiar.

"What is it, Mark?"

"Get back to the city. Now."

"Why?"

"No time to explain. Just go!"

Fiona ran back to the city just as a dark form tackled Mark.

"I have a message for the whelp Silver," the beast growled. "Tell him that I got eyes for Blaze."

"O-okay," Mark whimpered.

"Oh, and nice job sniffing me out. I'm impressed with you adapting to your instincts." The shape then got off him and ran off into the night.

"What was that all about?" Mark wondered as he sat up.


End file.
